This invention relates generally to equipment for deoxygenating beverage water feedstocks, and more particularly concerns compact, relatively inexpensive equipment for deoxygenating water to be used in the preparation of carbonated beverages.
Modern methods of preparing soft drink beverages involve the mixing of a beverage syrup with deoxygenated water. Use of deoxygenated water improves beverage stability during the beverage preparation process, during beverage container filling, and during storage prior to consumption. If the beverage is contained within a can, included air can permit deterioration of the plastic can lining, thereby damaging the can and spoiling the flavor of the beverage.
Many modern beverage preparation systems therefore include deaeration apparatus of one sort or another. Deaerators are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,784; 4,112,828; 3,584,438; 3,574,587; and co-pending applications Ser. No. 06/050,158 filed June 20, 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,167 Ser. No. 910,184 filed May 30, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,784; and Ser. No. 36,069 filed May 5, 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,711. At least some of these deaerators have met with considerable commercial success.
Some of the patented devices are designed for use in preparing beer. In beer preparation systems, the oxygen content must be reduced to a level on the order of a very few parts of oxygen per billion parts of water. In soft drink or carbonated beverage systems, however, the oxygen content need only be reduced to amounts on the order of a few parts of air per million parts of water. Equipment costs are important to beverage processors.
It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to provide an efficient but inexpensive deoxygenating apparatus for use in soft drink or carbonated beverage preparation systems.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide carbonated beverage system deoxygenating apparatus which eliminates the use of a vacuum pump in direct contact with the system feed water. Such an invention will eliminate even the remote possibility of oil traces entering the beverage feed water and will also eliminate much of the expense and labor of vacuum pump maintenance.
Another object is to provide such apparatus which will make use of carbon dioxide gas in accomplishing the deoxygenation. This use of carbon dioxide gas permits the effective employment of carbon dioxide gas from other portions of the beverage preparation system so as to avoid wasting that gas. This approach also permits the pre-carbonation of the system feed water so that less carbonation need be applied in downstream portions of the system.
It is another object to provide a deaeration apparatus which operates with great efficiency even when low volumes of water are being processed.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.
Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.